There are 2 ways to join our annual Caddy Club Majors, a fun virtual golf competition for our donors.
1) Make a Monthly Recurring (pledge) of $30+ per month for at least 12 months and immediately become part of our Caddy Club Majors.
2) Make a One-Time $360 annual donation.
Every $360 donation you make allows us to cover just the registration fee and golf clubs for one low-income participant to attend 8 weeks of classes. If you are able to givemore, consider sponsoring additional participants. You are helping us give more kids and teens access to our youth development program that is making a difference.
It kicks off with the Masters April 7-13 and also includes the PGA Championship May 15-18, US Open June12-15, and Open Championship July 17-20. It is easy to play with $16,000 in total donated prizes plus Player of Year Award.
FTSV believes that ALL youth deserve the change to grow in a supportive environment with mentors guiding them – we are dedicated to building a youth development program that is accessible, diverse and as impactful as it is fun.
Congratulations to FTSV Ace-Certified Participant, Eliane Juang, for being awarded the Make Your Mark Grant! Eliane was one of 8 First Tee Ace-Certified participants selected nation-wide for the $5,000 grant based on her work in the community.
To be eligible for the grant, one must have completed the Ace Give Back Project, which requires 24 hours of community service, and then submit a detailed report of their project/service. Upon submission, the selection committee evaluates whether the community service or initiative made an impact on a cause or organization in the participant’s community and highlights the impact First Tee has had on their learning and preparation to succeed in this initiative.
ACE Give Back – Service Projects
One of her service projects included tutoring for Tzu Chi where she prepared slide presentations, language activities and structured conversational tutoring for students learning English. The other project involved volunteering her time to play music at nursing homes. For both projects Eliane wrote extensive self-reflection journals and game plan steps as a part of her FTSV Ace Give Back class. Our Ace Give Back class also helps participants like Eliane learn what it means to go above and beyond, be professional, and gain transferable work skills. Eliane demonstrated all of these learnings in her projects to help her earn the grant.
“Community service allows me to build stronger bonds with people around me,” said Eliane. “I love being part of someone’s growth journey and making a positive impact on the community.”
Congratulations Eliane! Your work in the community shows high character, empathy, and a desire to make the world a better place. Thank you!
If you are interested in joining our program like Eliane did years ago, please click here or contact us at [email protected] or 408-508-4880 for more information.
First Tee – Silicon Valley’s board recently elected Tracy Cone to our Board of Ambassadors.
Tracy has been a FTSV coach at Bayland Golf Links for 5 years. She got into volunteer mode during Covid working with a few non-profits. Attending our year-end Coach Appreciation Dinner, prompted her to ask if she could more involved which led to a natural fit as an Ambassador.
Tracy brings a lot of golf experience to her role as FTSV Coach. She is currently the Girls Golf Coach at Mountain View High School. She played 4 years on the LPGA Futures Tour (1999-2003). Tracy earned a full athletic scholarship to play golf at Arizona State University (1990-1994). The pinnacle of her college career was playing on the ASU team that captured the 1993 and 1994 NCAA Championship Team title.
Tracy said, “While it’s great to see the kids golf skills improve over the season, it’s even more rewarding to help them learn and apply the life skills in their daily lives.”
Golf is not Tracy’s only talent. She has an MA & BA degree in French and has a BS & MS degree in Economics. Fluent in French, logistics, and production – she was the Director of Operations at Covision for 8 years with a proven ability to manage projects across companies, cultures, and oceans. Prior to that role, she was the Regional Manager for Edu-Culture International overseeing summer study abroad programs for high school students in France and Spain. She is also an ultra runner and recently completed her first 100 mile trail run.
Tracy is a great addition to our Board of Ambassadors. Board Ambassadors give advice, assist with projects, represent the organization in the community at events, help raise funds, and expand FTSV’s network throughout Silicon Valley and beyond. Click here to meet all our Board Members. Contact Judy Deaton if you have interest in learning more about a volunteer Board opportunity.
First Tee – Silicon Valley’s board recently elected Justin Hill to our Board of Ambassadors.
After relocating from Manhattan to Silicon Valley, Justin was drawn to First Tee’s mission to promote youth development through golf and integrating the game of golf with life skills.
Justin was relatively late to golf, choosing to play more traditional team sports in his youth, but as he grew older, he began to appreciate the physical and psychological aspects of the game, the camaraderie among the players, and lessons learned from golf that translate off the course.
Justin is thrilled to assist First Tee – Silicon Valley attract more local youth to the game of golf, especially players with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
Justin has 14 years of banking experience spanning roles in relationship management, underwriting, and portfolio management held at Truist, RBC Capital Markets, and Capital One. Justin is currently an underwriter at Capital One where he makes debt and equity investments in multi-family affordable housing developments across the U.S. He received his undergraduate Business degree from the University of Oregon and earned his MBA from George Washington University. Justin lives in Cupertino with his wife and two children, Morgan and Porter.
Justin is a great addition to our Board of Ambassadors. Board Ambassadors give advice, assist with projects, represent the organization in the community at events, help raise funds, and expand FTSV’s network throughout Silicon Valley and beyond. Click here to meet all our Board Members. Contact Judy Deaton if you have interest in learning more about a volunteer Board opportunity.
First Tee – Silicon Valley owes an enormous thank you to SAGA Foundation led by President, David Bartoshuk for their generous $100,000 donation to further develop FTSV programs in the Palo Alto-Redwood City area including at Baylands Golf Links. Their donations to FTSV now total $710,000 over the last seven years.
The SAGA Foundation assists nonprofits to work smarter, reach further, and have a lasting impact. They are committed to helping FTSV expand dramatically at Baylands for the benefit of Mid-Peninsula youth and the community. David Bartoshuk, President – SAGA Foundation, says, “At SAGA, we continue to believe in the tremendous power of working together, and we recognize there is no limit to what can be accomplished when it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.” Read more about SAGA’s commitment to collaboration in their Fall 2023 Letter – The Power of “WE.”
“We cannot thank David and the SAGA Foundation enough for all of their support of FTSV’s future at Baylands Golf Links and in the lives of youth throughout the Mid-Peninsula.” said FTSV President & CEO, George Maxe.
First Tee – Silicon Valley’s 25th Anniversary (2025) is a year-long celebration of our 25 years of positive impact for our FTSV family and local community.
In addition to recognizing our achievement at all our Events, FTSV will commemorate our Silver Anniversary at our special Community Day on August 16th at Rancho del Pueblo in San Jose. Check our events page in the coming months for event details.
2025 Events – SAVE THE DATE
Please save the dates for FTSV events which are designed for our community, participants, supporters (both individual and corporate), and families.
Attending our events is a great way for all individuals to learn more about us while having fun. They also provide a wonderful opportunity for corporations to sponsor our youth programs while entertaining customers and clients.
The money raised from these events and our private Invitational in July funds and sustains our youth development program.
Fund the Kids Tournament – Gilroy Golf Course – Saturday, September 20, 2025
KRTY.com Writer’s Cup – Cinnabar Hills Golf Club – Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Community Events
In addition to our 25th Celebration Event on August 16th, Community Events occur once every quarter on a Saturday. These events bring the local communities we serve together to experience our program in a fun, no pressure environment. If interested in attending or getting involved with our Community Events, contact Program Director, Chris Moreno-Hunt [email protected].
Learn About FTSV’s 25-year History
Our youth development program dates back to 2000 when the San Jose Sports Authority (SJSA) and founding Board Chair, Victor M. Arrañaga, Jr. created the Eagles junior golf program for East San José youth at Rancho del Pueblo. In 2005, the Eagles became The First Tee of San José, a new chapter within The First Tee network of over 180 internationally, while remaining a program of SJSA. Having grown substantially by early 2012, the program expanded to all Santa Clara County and East Palo Alto and changed its name (and license) to The First Tee of Silicon Valley. The year 2014 began a new era as we separated from SJSA and became a new, 501c3, non-profit entity, The Future Talent of Silicon Valley DBA First Tee – Silicon Valley. Southern San Mateo County (north to Hwy 92) and Hollister were added to our service area in 2018. We have taught our life skills and golf skills curriculum to over 100,000 youth since 2000.
